1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an automotive safety belt arrangement. More specifically, the invention relates to a tension reductive belt retractor in the automotive safety belt arrangement.
2. Description of the Background Art
As is well known, safety belt arrangements of variety of constructions have been employed in automotive vehicles. In one of typical construction of the safety belt arrangements with a tension reducing capability, a tension reductive belt retractor is provided with a coil spring which serves for rewinding or retracting extra length of a belt for restricting passenger on a vehicular seat upon accident. The rewinding spring is housed within a retractor housing together with a belt locking mechanism and so forth. In the modern vehicle, requirement for compact construction of the belt retractor, the rewinding spring, the belt locking mechanism and so forth are housed within a limited spaced in the retractor housing. Because of the limited space in the retractor housing, it becomes difficult for avoiding interference between the rewinding spring and the adjacent components and/or the retractor housing.
If interference between the rewinding spring and the adjacent components and/or the retractor housing is caused, substantial wearing of the spring for earlier fatigue is caused for significantly shortening the lift of thesafety belt arrangement. Furthermore, such interference may lower rewinding performance of the belt for prolongate time required for completely rewinding the extra length of the belt for safely restricting the passenger on the vehicular seat. For this reason, the retractor housing has to be large enough to provide sufficient space for housing the rewinding spring and other components without causing mutual interference. This clearly prevents the belt retractor from being constructed compact enough as required in the modern vehicle.